Gordley finishing first year at MSJ

Peebles graduate Camron Gordley is finishing up an injury-plagued rookie season as a member of the Mount St. Joseph University Lions basketball squad.

Peebles grad battled injuries early –

By Mark Carpenter –

From Peebles to Delhi. Thus far, that is the path taken by the basketball career of 2017 Peebles High School graduate Camron Gordley, who is finishing up his first regular season as a member of the Division III Mount St. Joseph University Lions.
Admittedly, it has been a tough freshman season for Gordley, who has battled his way through a series of early season injuries, attempting to work his way into Coach Toby Carrigan’s rotation.
“I started off behind the eight ball with a bruised femur and a sprained MCL,” Gordley told The Defender. “After about six weeks of inactivity, I came back and practiced for a week until I suffered a concussion. There’s another two weeks with headaches and all of the protocol you have to follow before returning to action. I was playing well and earning the trust of my teammates and coaches, and then I suffered a sprained ankle and was put in a boot. I tried to come back early for the season opener and that just made it worse.”
“Things were going good again and then I sprained my wrist and was out another week. I paid extra attention to what the coaches were saying in practice and the sets we were learning so when I came back I wouldn’t miss a beat.”
The Lions currently stand at 13-6, battling for first place in the Heartland Athletic Conference, and Gordley has appeared in 10 of those games, averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.1 points, and 1.3 rebounds.
One of the things that the Peebles grad quickly picked up on was the differences between the high school game and the college game, even at the Division III level.
“In my opinion, the biggest difference between the high school and college games is just the every day grind. We get up and work out before 8 a.m. two days a week and we have individual workouts twice a week depending on our class schedule so it could be at 9 a.m. or right before practice. On top of that, we have film study every day and two and a half hour practices on days we don’t have games, and on game days, we usually have an hour-long walkthrough.”
“It’s a big work load but I know that’s what it takes to be a great team and we have a locker room full of good guys with a lot of talent and good coaches to guide us. You really have to bring your ‘A’ game very day to practice because if you don’t, you get left behind.”